Europe and the Rest of the World - A Military Analysis

[Furunculus]

Effective military training is designed to break recruits so it can mould them from scratch, therefore by definition it shouldn't matter what background or culture those recruits come from. If you don't train them correctly in the first place, then unwanted traits will undoubtedly get into the system. I don't think it's fair to say one culture is less suited than others though. You could pick out all sorts of traits in Western European culture that make people unsuitable to be in the armed forces, many of which would be exactly the same as those mentioned in the article and probably many others too. The only difference being there is a generally higher standard of training in Western Europe so those traits are generally eliminated and replaced with traits desired for an effective military.

again, i want to stress that i am forwarding this article for discussion, not advocating it as a total explanation for; "why arabs can't win wars" award.

and while i accept the point that training is their to break down unhelpful social conventions and behaviours, you can certainly appreciate that a rigid class structure "almost to the point of being a caste system" would inhibit the culture of learning/training that permits the reinvention of these individuals as soldiers? also that it likewise encourages a clear distinction between the officer and the grunt, which discourages the creation of a class of authority-wielding non-com officers that intrinsically bridge the expected social divide.

this article does not answer 'all', but nor too does it claim too, and i certainly don't think the explanation should be written off as insignificant.

my grandfather in the picture above joined as a grunt from an unimportant family, and was then put through sandhurst on the officer-training program where he won the sword of honour at passing out, and he spent his whole life conscious of the percieved difference between himself and his fellow officers, how much more debilitating must that prove institutionally in arab forces in the 80's to today?